Cam-O-Matic windshield wipers

[dvonk]

not surprisingly, when i bought my '58 Special, all the wiper/washer vacuum lines were brittle, cracked, or missing entirely. i got some new rubber hoses and installed them to where i *hoped* they should go, with limited help from photos of other 1958 Buick engine bays. i was totally stoked when the wipers moved on their own when i pushed the switch the first time.

the problem was they would only rise about 6 inches or so. i thought it could be the wiper vacuum motor, or perhaps a leaky vacuum line, but after some manual (non-powered) manipulation of the wipers, i discovered that the plastic bushing on the driver's side wiper arm would bind on the cam soon after it started traveling. if i guided the bushing onto the cam, the wipers would continue to travel for a full stroke. the same is true when vacuum is applied--if i push down on the arm/transmission attachment point, the wipers will work automatically as intended: both speeds/full travel.

when comparing the functional passenger side arm to the malfunctioning driver's side, i noticed that the functional arm was firmly attached to the transmission stem and would not move when pulled. the malfunctioning arm will move forward on the stem when pulled, and this outward movement allows the arm to twist and cause the bushing to bind on the cam.

i cant find anything in the service manual as to how to remove the arms from the transmissions, and id rather not break them doing it incorrectly. how would i go about removing them? also, has anyone else had a problem like this?

[bhclark]

I would love to see a diagram of where all of the hoses come from and where they go.

There were no hoses at all attached to the wiper unit on my car when I got it.

[dvonk]

i was lucky enough to have some fragments still attached--i pieced it together like an archaeologist reconstructing a dinosaur skeleton. so, im not *positive* they are all where they are supposed to go (i.e., not sure about the washer fluid pump, since it may be faulty), but the wipers do operate properly, and with both speeds. im sure im not the only one who has the vacuum lines attached, maybe someone else can help us?

i can take photos to show you what i have for a setup, but it might be clearer if i could draw up a schematic of sorts in addition to the photos. do you have the washer fluid pump as well?

[bhclark]

Yes, I also have the washer pump.

I should have enough hose to replace everything, just don't know where to start.

I spent an hour looking through the shop manuals and couldn't find a diagram anywhere?

[dvonk]

yeah, i couldnt find anything either. if you look closely on the lid of the washer pump, you can see labels stamped for the hose attachment nipples, so i used those to help me out a bit as well. i used at least two different sized hoses. when i take photos of them i will check to see for sure.

[bhclark]

lol. Someone painted everything black on mine. I haven't tried to remove the paint from the lid and bottle yet.

[58limited]

Windshield wiper info is in the Body Service Manual for some reason. The washer is not discussed and I have not found any info in any '58 Buick manual on it.


I believe McVey's (a Cadillac/LaSalle parts house) restores, or used to restore, the washer pumps. You might be able to get info from them about the vacuum lines. They have a pump repair kit listed but I couldn't find info on their rebuilding service on their website, so they might not offer that service anymore.

http://www.mcveys.com/Contact%20Us.html